Dress



(No Model.)

P, H. UHILDRESS. TREADLE MECHANISM. v

Patented Oct. 19,1897

7 UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICEQ PATRICK H. CHILDRESS, or wAYNEsBoRoUcH,vIRGI IA, ASSIGNOR or THREE-FIFTHSVTO FRANCES A. LOTH AND FRANK r. LOTH, or SAME PLACE.

TREADLE MEC HANl SM.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 592,195, dated October 19, 1897.

Application filed uly 30, 1897.

T at whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK HENRY CHIL- DRESS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waynesborough, in the county of Augusta and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Treadle Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. i

My invention relates to improvements in treadle mechanism for driving sewing ma- .chines and similar machines operated by a ters throughout the several views.

- Figure 1 represents a perspective yiew of a portion of a sewing-machine provided with a foot-treadle having my attachment thereon. Fig. 2 represents an enlarged perspective View of the spring carrying-pin detached from the treadle, the upper end of the said spring being broken off. Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of the clip for engaging the upper end of the spring-arm and Fig. 4 represents a perspective view of a slightly-modified form of holding-bracket for the spring, for use where the plane of oscillation of the treadle bar or lever is at right angles to the plane of motion of the treadle itself.

A represents a verticallyreciprocating treadle, which may be of any ordinary construction, and is mounted upon a shaft or rod a, The treadleA has a protrudinglug, such as A, thereon, to which is pivotally attached the treadle-bar B, by means of a bolt or pin b, which passes through said lug and an open-' ing in the lower endof said treadle-bar in the usual manner. The upper end of said bar B is mounted upon a wrist-pin b on the driving-wheel B so that when the treadle is re ciprocated the said driving-wheel 13 will be rotated through the bar B in the ordinary manner; but it often happens that thetreadle stops with the upper end of the bar B on a Serial No. 646,550. (No model.)

I dead-center with the driving-wheel B rendering it necessary for the operator to use one hand to turn'the machine past this deadcen-' ter, which is often very inconvenient. In order to overcome this objection, I have devised the hereinafter-described attachments, which constitute my invention. p 0 represents an angular metallic bracket, the foot 0 of which may be rigidly secured upon the foot-rest or treadle proper, A, by means of a U- shaped clip 0 the ends of which pass'through a plate 0 and are secured by nuts, as seen in Fig. 1; but it will be obvious that the bracket 0 may be attached in many other ways, as by bolts, if preferred. The upright arm 0 of this bracket 0 terminates in a short sleeve or eye 0, adapted to receive the reduced portion E of a pin or spindle E, having a screw-threaded end adapted tobe engaged by a nut 6 D represents a rod of spring metal provided atone end with a coil D and terminating at said end in a shank cl, adapted to engage in a radial opening through the pin E and be secured by a nut d as seen most clearly in Fig. 2. The upper end of said spring-rod is adapted to be engaged by a sliding clip F, (shown in Fig. 3 most clearly,) the larger opening F in F may slide freely upon the bar B when the spring-rod is disengaged therefrom, and the said clip may be removed from the end of the said spring-rod by taking up the tension with the hand, but the clip is prevented from sliding down the said spring-rod by a bur or Washer 61', rigidly mounted on said rod near its upper end, as shown in Fig. 2'.

In adjusting the attachment to the treadle the pin E, carrying the spring-rod, as shown in Fig. 2, is inserted through the sleeve or eye 0 in the upright arm c of the bracket 0, which latter has previously been attached to the treadle, and the upper end of the springrod D is swung past the clip Fa distance neeessary to give the desired tension to said rod said pin. The free end of the spring-rod D is then drawn backward, and the clip F first moved upwardly on the bar B to allow the end of the rod D to enter the openingf therein and then slid downwardly over the end of the said rod D, which will thus be held under a constant tension. This tension on the spring-rod D will cause the said rod to exert a constant pull on the upper end of the treadle-bar B, so that the said bar B will always be thrown past the dead-center when the foot is removed from the treadle A and the mechanism allowed to come to a standstill, and yet this pull will not be sufficient to retard materially the operation of the treadle.

It may happen that the bar B oscillates in a vertical plane at right angles to the plane of movement of the treadle A, in which case a bracket constructed as shown in Fig. 4 should be used, wherein it will be seen that the hollow sleeve or eye 0 for the reception of the reduced portion E of the pin E is formed at right angles to its position in Fig. 1, thus allowing the spring-rod to be adjusted accordin gly.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

In a treadle attachment for overcoming dead centers the combination with a bracket having a hollow sleeve thereon, and means for rigidly connecting said bracket to the foot-rest of the treadle mechanism; of a pin adapted to engage in said sleeve on said bracket; means for rotatably adjusting said pin, and for clamping the same; a rod having a spring-coil at one end fixed to said pin; and a clip vertically adjustable upon the pitmanbar of the treadle mechanism, and adapted to engage and hold the opposite end of said rod under tension, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I al'iix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PATRICK 1T. CIIILDRESS.

Witnesses:

S. T. ALEXANDER, W. J. BELL. 

